Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The 25-year-old Velodrom Rakyat has been hit with never-ending woes despite numerous attempts to restore the track. — Picture by Muhaizan Yahya

AZIZUL Hasni Awang's horrific injury on the Siberian timber track at the velodrome in Manchester must now open the eyes to dangers in our own backyard.

Coaches of junior teams in the country and a number of cycling officials have raised the alarm over the state of the timber track at Velodrom Rakyat in Ipoh, the ill-fated 25-year-old facility that seems hit with never-ending woes despite numerous attempts to restore the track.

Question marks were raised when the academy, based at Velodrom Rakyat, was left in a limbo two months ago when coach Mahazir Hamad left the programme to take charge of the development squad in his home state Selangor.

It was by all means a demotion for Mahazir, a celebrated former national cyclists, but despite reserving his comments, hinted that all was not right at Velodrom Rakyat.

The Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) has once before, in 2005, suspended the use of Velodrom Rakyat after serious crashes suffered by cyclists in the ACC Track Asia Cup round as it hosted as its first event after supposed repairs were completed.

The velodrome had been left in a dilapidated state between 2000 and 2004, when a Timesport expose saw to it that the track would be repaired. At a cost of RM1.7 million from the Ipoh City Hall's (DBI) coffers, a return to action was promised, but Hafiz Sufian's unwanted souvenirs from the ACC Track Asia Cup showed repairs too weren't enough.

National cyclist Hafiz had crashed and had wood splinters stuck into his thigh, arms and back, some of which had to be surgically removed. That was in 2005.

Azizul's former coach Rozimi Omar, in charge of junior cyclists under the Dungun District Cycling Association (DDCA) has voiced his concern over the matter.

"When we have races at Velodrom Rakyat, I'm always worried, as we have junior cyclists under our care. Azizul's incident in Manchester was a freak accident, which was not expected to happen," said Rozimi.

"But at Velodrom Rakyat, a crash will almost certainly leave some wood splinters stuck into the bodies of cyclists. And with junior cyclists, we coaches will have to be responsible and often answerable to parents.

"I hope this matter will be viewed seriously."

MNCF technical and competitions committee chairman Maniam Manikkam said the federation was aware of the state of Velodrom Rakyat, but admitted there were still junior competitions planned at the facility for this year.

"We have included some rounds of the junior circuit to be held at Velodrom Rakyat, but before they are run this year I will be going to have a look at the track," said Maniam when contacted.

"We have received a number of verbal complaints, mostly from those worrying about the safety of riders. Should we find the track unsafe, we will not hesitate to suspend it from use again."

Maniam said there had also been recommendation for the track, which has often been criticised for being unsuitable as an outdoor facility with a timber track, to be converted into a cement track which could be the right solution to the problem.

"The MNCF track committee has suggested this to the owner, DBI, before. Maybe it is time to really push for this. There has been talk about building new velodromes, but we must first prove that we can take care of the existing ones," said Maniam

AZIZUL Hasni Awang's split-second decision during the horrific crash in the keirin final of the Manchester UCI World Cup on Sunday, is something that has earned him more than fame.

His show of grit in jumping back on his bike with a wood splinter piercing his left calf, saved his entire season's hard work confirming his historic third UCI World Cup overall keirin title and keeping him in the lead in the Olympic qualifying rankings.

Had he not made that split second decision. Azizul's season would have ended in tatters with the injury ruling him out of the World Championships in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands on March 23-28 and he would have lost the lead in all the ranking that mattered.

"I didn't think much. After the crash, all I thought was about the UCI World Cup jersey. I needed to finish at least fourth to guarantee it, so I just got back on my bike and rode across the finish line," said Azizul, when contacted in Manchester yesterday.

"I felt pain when I crashed, as it was a hard tumble. But I didn't realise the splinter had pierced through until after I had crossed the finish line."

Doctors at the Royal Infirmary in Manchester, where Azizul had the nine-inch long splinter surgically removed from his calf yesterday morning, have told Azizul to stay off the bike for at least two weeks or until the wounds have fully recovered.

That effectively ruled him out of the World Championships, something the 23-year old from Dungun had programmed his whole season towards.

"I will have to take at least two weeks off, or more if required, to allow for the wound to fully heal. Pushing it would make it worse, so I think it would be better to allow proper recovery," said Azizul.

"Of course I'm disappointed that my season ended like this but under the circumstances, I will just have to accept fate.

"The top priority is next year's Olympics and I still have time to fully recover and prepare for the next World Cup season and continue the qualifying programme then."

Azizul was last night discharged from the hospital and boarded the flight together with his teammates back to their training base in Melbourne.

PETALING JAYA: It has been described as a giant toothpick sticking out of his left leg by a British news-paper and Malaysian track cyclist Azizulhasni Awang can thank his lucky stars that his cycling career is still intact.

Azizul was recovering after undergoing surgery to remove a 20cm-long splinter of the Manchester Velodrome track that went through his left calf muscle during a crash at the Track World Cup last Saturday night.

Awang managed to remount his bike after the high-speed crash in the keirin final and stagger across the line to claim a bronze medal, earning him a third overall World Cup title as a result.

He was rushed to a local hospital but medics waited until Sunday to carry out the procedure, which coach John Beasley described as a very delicate procedure.

“They said it’s best if they do it with all their experts around and when everyone’s fresh. The only way they can do it is by surgically going in from both ends and spreading it apart and pulling it out,” said Beasley.

Beasley decided to pull Azizul out of the World Championships in Holland from March 23-27 although he should be back on his bike by then.

For Beasley more important goal for Azizul is the Olympics in London and he wants his star rider to be on top by then.

“He’ll be right for the Olympics. Hopefully Chris Hoy will be in second place and he’ll be on the top,” he added.

The tale of Azizul’s rare injury and the grit he showed in getting back on his bike to complete the race was carried by the British and Australian papers.

“I’ve been involved in cycling a long time and you hear tales of these injuries, riders being speared through the ribs, but that is by far the worst I have seen although initially I wasn’t aware of it.

“I helped him back to his bike, having checking the rider’s head and state of mind.

“I feel really bad because I didn’t even see it,” added the head coach, who said adrenaline probably took Awang across the line.

“It wasn’t until later I knew he had the splinter,” he added.

Azizul was due to be discharged yesterday and team manager Datuk Naim Mohamad said he will be flown back to his Melbourne base to recover.

By LIM TEIK HUAT

PETALING JAYA: A plucky Azizulhasni Awang made his way into the history books as the first track cyclist to capture a third successive World Cup overall title in the keirin event despite earning a bronze medal in the final leg in Manchester in the most extraordinary circumstances on Saturday evening.

The 23-year-old had made the top-six final and was attempting to come through a gap to catch triple Olympic champion Chris Hoy of Britain who had sprinted clear when he crashed into Spaniard Juan Gascon Peralta while doing close to 50mph.

The others failed to avoid the scrap and collided into each other.

But somehow Azizul managed to get back on his bike after the dramatic crash to stagger across the finish line for the bronze despite a nine-inch long wooden splinter piercing his left calf.

Azizul, who ended a 40-year drought in cycling by winning the Asian Games gold medal in Guangzhou last year, did not made it to the podium ceremony as he was stretchered out of the arena.

The burly Hoy did not disappoint the sell-out home crowd as he surged past his opponents down the back straight as the bell rang for the final lap to clinch his second World Cup gold medal for the 2010-2011 season after earning his first in Melbourne three months earlier.

Azizul claimed the World Cup overall title and the coveted white jersey with a total of 28 points in the final standings after four legs.

Hoy was second, four points behind, while Simon van Velthooven of New Zealand, the winner of the third leg in Beijing, was third on 18 points.

Azizul was the winner of the second leg in Colombia in December and he also reached the final in Beijing where he finished sixth.

It was crucial for Azizul to qualify for the final despite competing against a classy field led by Hoy to defend his World Cup overall title and he indicated his intention from the start by advancing to the second round in style after winning his first round heat.

The two-time World Championships silver medallist rider went on to earn a place in the final after coming in third in the second round heat behind Edward Dawkins of New Zealand and Niblett.

Team manager Datuk Naim Mohamad said it was really unfortunate for Azizul to be pierced by the splinter from the timber track.

“The Spanish rider crowded into Azizul’s lane and took out his wheel, sliding for about a few metres on the track with his bicycle.

“That’s when it must have scraped the timber track and the wooden splinter pierced Azizul’s left calf coming in from the back and went right through to the front.

“Peralta crossed the finish line without his bike and he was disqualified and Azizul was promoted.

“But his place as the overall winner was in the bag after making the final earlier. It’s a glorious moment but for the accident,” said Naim from Manchester.

Fellow Malaysian cyclist Josiah Ng missed out on the final when he finished fourth in the second round heat but had the consolation of finishing ahead of reigning world champion Gregory Bauge of France.

Josiah, the country’s first Commonwealth Games champion in track cycling, had to come back to win the repechage after failing to win the first round heat to earn automatic entry for the second round.

Azizul got back on his bike, while Dawkins pushed his over the line. Peralta ran to the finish line without his bike and was disqualified.

Azizul managed to bag the bronze medal, which was enough to retain his overall World Cup keirin title.

Azizul was promoted to third after Peralta was disqualified. But he missed his moment on the podium because he was on his way to hospital.

Britain's Chris Hoy, who won the gold, was one of only two riders who completed the race without crashing. Azizul pipped Hoy to the keirin series title that covers the four meetings that constitute the track World Cup.

National track team manager Datuk Naim Mohamad, who was with Azizul at the Royal Infirmary in Manchester, said Azizul was awaiting a scan yesterday morning before doctors determined the best way to remove the wood splinter from his leg.

"They have to do the scan to find out if the splinter pierced any veins or arteries, which could complicate things. The specialists say if all is well, Azizul will recover within a week."

"This just showed what a fighter Azizul is.

"You look at the splinter sticking out of his leg like that and you can't imagine how he managed to ride on and win the bronze medal."

MANCHESTER, England (AP) - Azizulhasni Awang won a bronze medal at cycling's Track World Cup on Saturday, and boy did he earn it.

The Malaysian rider managed to get back on his bike after a high-speed crash in the Keirin final and stagger across the line, but it was only afterward that the full extent of his injury became clear.

Pictures showed a large splinter of wood from the track had gone right through his left calf. Azizulhasni was given third, but missed his moment on the podium because he was on his way to hospital.

Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang collapses with a splinter through his lower leg after a crash in the men's Keirin final. -AP Photo/Jon Super

His bronze was enough for him to capture the series title ahead of Britain's Chris Hoy, who won Saturday's race.

Hoy was one of only two riders who completed the race without falling. He said he did not realize what had happened behind him until he crossed the line.

"I was punching the air and showboating as I always do and when I came by the scoreboard I saw the officials pointing," Hoy was quoted as saying by the Press Association. "I saw one guy, then two and then three, but with the noise of the crowd I couldn't hear. "It was pretty nasty."

A splinter is seen through the leg of Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang after a crash in the men's Keirin final during the Track Cycling World Cup. -AP Photo/Jon Super

The crash involved four riders: Azizulhasni, Poland's Kamil Kuczynski, Edward Dawkins of New Zealand and Juan Peralta Gascon of Spain.

Azizulhasni got back on his bike, while Dawkins pushed his over the line. Peralta ran to the finish line without his bike and was disqualified.

"Awang is always in there with the rough and tumble so it's almost inevitable it's going to happen to him at some point," Hoy said.

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Azizulhasni Awang

was born on 5 of January 1988 in Dungun,Terengganu, MALAYSIA is a track cyclist representing MALAYSIA . He is a flag bearer for Malaysian team in Beijing Olympic Games.Azizulhasni,winner of gold medals in keirin and 200m sprints at the Asian Championships in April, finished as the best Asian finisher at the Beijing Olympics last month with a top eight finish.The 23-years-old, is among 2012 London Olympics gold medal prospects .He made a history when he won the main keirin final in the second-leg of the UCI Track World Cup in Melbourne to become the first-ever Malay­sian gold medallist at the World Cup stage.He hold the title of world cup leader in Keirin 2009,nevertheless his luck in World Championship Keirin was obscure but he conferred as a silver mendalist in Men Sprint in Track World Championship at Poland .He is now married to a loving wife,Athiah Ilyana Abd Samat .